The mid-September launch of Apple Watch Series 2 wasn’t in time to help the company’s third quarter sales figures. A new report from IDC claims that Apple Watch sales fell sharply year-over-year, while cheaper wearables from companies like Fitbit surged.
Jim Tanous
Articles by Jim Tanous
Apple Beta Testing Improved iCloud Photos Interface
Apple is now beta testing a number of improvements to iCloud.com Photos, including a new sidebar, easier navigation between photos, and initial support for the Touch Bar on the 2016 MacBook Pro.
Amazon Snowmobile is a Giant Truck That Can Move 100PB to the Cloud
Amazon’s servers provide the backbone for much of the Web, and while upload speeds are improving, what happens when you need a few dozen petabytes backed up to the cloud? Enter Amazon Snowmobile, literally a giant truck with a mobile data center capable of physically moving up to 100 petabytes of your data to Amazon’s cloud servers. The concept is the evolution, both in name and function, of the company’s “Snowball” service, which ships customers data units with capacities up to 80TB. As for price, it’s in the “if you have to ask…” category, although Amazon says it aims to make the Snowmobile cheaper than any network-based data transfer which, even at gigabit speeds, would take a while.
UK Police Circumvent iOS Encryption By Snatching iPhone Out of Suspect's Hands
Forget backdoors and lawsuits. Police in the UK have come up with an interesting solution to Apple’s strong iOS encryption: they simply waited for the suspect to unlock his device and then snatched it right out of his hands.
How to Show the User Library Folder in macOS Sierra
Can’t find your user Library folder in macOS Sierra? There are workarounds to temporarily reveal it, but here’s a quick tip to make the user Library folder show up in Finder, and stay there.
Apple Tells NHTSA That All Autonomous Car Prototypes Are Created Equal
Apple reignited interest in its autonomous car project with a letter to Federal regulators arguing that “new entrants” into the autonomous vehicle industry should have just as many rights as the established automakers when it comes to testing prototypes on public roads.
UK Study Finds 99% of Fake iPhone Chargers Fail Safety Test
Sure, that counterfeit iPhone charger on Amazon is less than half the price of a real one, but according to a recent UK study, it may also kill you. When it comes to electricity, you probably shouldn’t be too frugal.
Uber's Latest Update Tracks Your Location More Than Santa Claus
A recent update to the Uber app allows the company and its drivers to track your location even when you aren’t using the app, opening up entirely new privacy and safety concerns for riders.
How to Show the Virtual On-Screen Keyboard Viewer in macOS Sierra
Mac Geek Gab listener Bruce recently upgraded to Sierra and noticed that one of his favorite features, the Mac’s virtual on-screen keyboard, was missing. Thankfully, Apple hasn’t removed the Keyboard Viewer, it’s just hiding in a new location. Here’s how to access it!
Turn $1 Into an Augmented Reality Tour of the White House
Forget Pokémon. A really cool use for augmented reality on your iPhone is an animated 3D model of the White House, complete with an audio tour of its importance and history. The new app 1600, released this week by the White House Historical Association, uses AR to build a fully animated 3D model of the White House on a $1 bill while White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest narrates a miniature history lesson. Users can also tap on various parts of the model to reveal additional information and a few hidden secrets. Check it out now for free on the iOS and Android app stores.
Quickly Close a New Safari Tab With a Swipe
Most Mac users know how to close a new Safari tab with the mouse or via a keyboard shortcut, but Mac Geek Gab listener Dale discovered a lesser known method via a swipe gesture. Here’s how it works.
Apple to Unleash a Fleet of Flying Drones to Improve Maps Data
Apple Maps has come a long way, but still trails Google in many areas. Apple is therefore preparing a fleet of flying drones to take to the skies in an effort to greatly increase the volume and accuracy of the company’s mapping data.
¡Buenas noticias! Apple Pay Now Available in Spain
Apple today rolled out Apple Pay in Spain, partnering with select credit card issuers and retailers to bring its secure mobile payment service to customers. Spain is the 13th country to support the service as Apple continues its steady Apple Pay expansion.
Apple Says It's Working to Fight iCloud Calendar Spam
The iCloud Calendar spam problem is getting worse, and users are helpless to stop it. Thankfully, Apple has confirmed that it’s working on a solution, but we don’t yet know how much of this questionable canned meat we’ll need to swallow before the company gets this right.
Netflix Finally Introduces Offline Viewing for iOS & Android
Want to binge on your favorite Netflix shows but can’t spare the mobile bandwidth? Netflix today finally introduced offline viewing for iOS and Android, letting users download select TV shows and movies for viewing anywhere, regardless of connectivity.
Watch Nature Rage and Man Sprawl with Google Earth Timelapse
Google Earth Timelapse is “a global, zoomable video that lets you see how the Earth has changed over the past 32 years.” It’s not exactly new, but the project was just updated this week with new data and improved historical images. Head over to the Timelapse website, zoom into your favorite location, and watch the path of rivers change, glaciers melt, and cities spread from 1984 through 2016. It’s an incredible way to view the immense library of Google Earth’s satellite imagery.
Apple Schedules Annual iTunes Connect Holiday Shutdown
Developers take note! iTunes Connect, the developer portal for all of Apple’s digital platforms, has scheduled its annual holiday shutdown. Get your app submissions and holiday sales data scheduled now!
Apple Celebrates 10 Years of (PRODUCT)RED With Exclusive Games & Apple Pay
To mark the 10th anniversary of (PRODUCT)RED, Apple is expanding its support for the HIV/AIDS initiative. In addition to new (RED) accessories, Apple has teamed up with popular app developers to offer (RED)-exclusive games and in-app content.
Stop Safari From Launching iTunes and the App Store With a Free Extension
When you visit an iTunes or App Store website link in Safari, those apps automatically launch. While this makes it easy to find and download content, many users don’t want apps popping up all over their Mac. Here’s a free Safari extension that can solve this problem.
Students in 25 More Countries Can Now Save 50% on Apple Music
Is your college pen pal jealous of your Apple Music student discount? Well, there’s now a good chance that they, too, can get in on the money saving action. Apple this week expanded the availability of its Apple Music student pricing to 25 additional countries.
Grab the New iOS-Inspired 5K Color Burst Wallpapers for Mac
Do you love those colorful iOS 10 wallpapers? It looks like they’ll soon be available in the next update to macOS Sierra, but here’s how you can download them now in full 5K resolution.
How to Check if Your iPhone 6s is Eligible for Apple's Free Battery Service Program
Is your iPhone 6s unexpectedly shutting down, even when you have plenty of battery charge left? If so, your device may be suffering from a known battery issue, and Apple is now willing to repair affected devices for free. Here’s how to check if your iPhone 6s is eligible.
The Big iOS 10 Features That Aren't Available on the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c
You don’t need to be running the latest and greatest hardware to upgrade to iOS 10, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get all of iOS 10’s great new features, either. Here are some of the big features you’ll miss out on if you’re running an iPhone 5 or 5c, and why you should still upgrade anyway.
PSA: iOS 10 No Longer Supports 3rd-Gen Apple TV as HomeKit Hub
Are you an early HomeKit adopter using a third-gen AppleTV as your hub? If so, you may need to buy some new hardware after upgrading to iOS 10, as the new features in Apple’s home automation and control platform also introduce new compatibility requirements.